MEETING RECAP: 2018 TC3 Summit

Our annual TC3 conference returned to the Juniper Aspiration Dome this year, with a revamped format focused on our 3 membership Forums – Service Provider, ComTech and IoT, plus a nod to the convergence in communications and automotive technologies with a segment provided by the Autotech Council. And while many telecom conferences have suffered from the current trend of decreased attendance, TC3 Summit has always thrived on quality over quantity, and meaningful engagements over foot traffic. Succeeding where many larger conferences fail, our 1-on-1 meetings continue to be a highlight. These meetings are pre-screened, thus more meaningful than others, and people show up – unsurprisingly, a key success factor!

The history and purpose of TC3 has always been around hosting an “upside down” conference. That is, one in which the big companies pitch the entrepreneurs. We find that, while it is usually the small companies that need something from the big guys, the big guys ALSO need the entrepreneurs and their innovations. So, the telcos should take the time, once a year, to speak to the startup community and tell them why it’s beneficial to work with them. Over 20 carriers also presented, stating directly their innovation needs for the next year, and the best ways to engage with them to develop a partnership. The Telecom Council has collated these specific presentation slides, and will share them with the ENTIRE entrepreneur community, worldwide, free of charge! We fundamentally believe that the information in this slide deck benefits everyone, entrepreneurs, VCs, network operators, solution vendors, AND then end consumers. It will make sure the entrepreneurs understand what the telcos want, and how to get that to them. It helps the carriers get better pitches. More deals, more business, and more real solutions that matter to end customers. Win, win, win.

Another stalwart at TC3 are our case studies, where several network operators took to the stage, each with an entrepreneur partner with which they are working. These case studies provided an update on the two companies, but then plunged into the biz dev process they followed, demonstrating how carriers DO work with startups, and the key success factors these startups learned. And, of course, no TC3 Summit would be complete without our Annual SPIFFY Awards! Congratulations to all the winners.

Via the variety of exhibits at the demo tables, organized lunchtime roundtable discussions, and on-stage debates and panels, we educated our audience on 5G, Blockchain, AI, Digital Transformation, Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles, to name but a few! The agenda is available to all for a peek at what our audience experienced over the 2 days, and, as with all of our meetings, members can access the presentations via our member library.

While, perhaps, we should no longer be surprised by the positive feedback we receive, we continue to be humbled by the magnitude of that feedback! Recurrently, our delegates compare TC3 Summit favorably with larger, more well-known conferences. So if you’ve not attended in the past, be sure to allocate some of your 2019 biz dev budget to experience TC3 for yourselves. For those who know us well, you’ll know we thrive on your feedback and suggestions for next year, which you can offer here.

With thanks to our sponsors, speakers, delegates and our host, for making TC3 Summit 2018 such a success. We are already looking ahead to next year’s Summit, so let us know if you want to get involved, how we can improve, so that we can continue to bring you the best “upside down” conference out there! For 2019 Sponsorship opportunities, speaker information and priority registration, you can contact us at council@telecomcouncil.com.